Accessory drawer



Dec. 27, 1949 w, c, HIGLEY 7 2,492,697

ACCES SORY DRAWER Filed Jan. 8, 1947 Inventor Walter C. Higley A ttorneys Patented Dec. 27, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ACCESSORY DRAWERWalter C. Higley, Hilledale, Mich.

Application January 9, 1947, Serial No. 720,889

10 Claims. I

This invention relates to accessory drawers adapted to many types offurniture, especially articles of furniture having a drop border, suchas desks, utility tables, game and card tables, stands, work benches,shelving and the like, the object thereof being to hold and containcards, chips, checkers and other game pieces or equipment so that theywill be readily accessible and will be securely retained in convenientposition for use when needed without getting loose, scattered about orlost.

Another object of the invention is to provide a convenient and simplemounting for an accessory drawer especially designed to be mountedbeneath a horizontal support having a ledge or rim for retaining thedrawer in closed or retracted position beneath the horizontal supportingsurface, where it is precluded from view and closed but adapted to beconveniently pulled out for obtaining access to the contents of thedrawer.

Another object of the invention is to provide an accessory drawer whichhas a two-way movement for opening and closing the same, and so thataccidental opening thereof will be avoided, by necessitating a downwardmovement prior to an outward movement for pulling the drawer open,thereby avoiding the disturbance of the appearance of the article offurniture or rendering the same unsightly when the drawer is in closedposition.

Another object of the invention is to provide a.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein likenumerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the drawer mounted in positionand opened;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation corresponding to Figure 2, but showingthe drawer in closed position and precluded from view;

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of the drawershowing means to coopcrate with the drawer case for limiting the outwardpull of the drawer to open position, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the drawer case.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in which like reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views, Itdesignates a horizontal supporting surface such as of many types ofarticles of furniture, game or card tables, desks, utility tables,stands, work benches, shelves and the like, preferably having a dropborder, molding or frame ll around the outer edge thereof, to which thetop In forming the horizontal supporting surface is secured and suitablyreinforced if desired. In the case of game or card tables, the usualfoldable legs are designed to fit or fold in rear of the border ormolding ll forming a drop ledge beneath the surface or top H) asindicated at [2, if desired.

Adapted to be mounted beneath the surface or top Ill is a drawercomprising a sheet metal or plastic rectangular case 13 relativelyelongated with open ends it and narrow sides l5 having longitudinalslots l6 therein opening at the rear end of the case and provided withenlarged portions or upwardly ofi-set angular end portions I! at theirforward ends, in spaced relation to the forward open end of the case I3.The drawer I8 is designed to slidably fit in the drawer case I3 and isshown of shallow rectangular tray-like form open at the top so as topartially project into the case and drawn outwardly for use in openposition, and to telescope or slide into the case when closed. Tofacilitate this, the front end l9 of the drawer may be provided with afinger or hand-gripping portion 20 which may be in the form of a stripor bracket piece 2| fastened to the front of the drawer and bent at itsfinger gripping portion or handle 20 to extend under the bottom of thedrawer for convenient grasping, to pull the drawer out.

In order to mount the drawer case in position beneath the supportingsurface or top In, a substantially U-shaped spring structure is providedas indicated at 22 made of a spring strand, strip or wire and as shown,comprising elongated U- shaped spring members 23 each formed of asection of spring material or wire provided intermediately of the endsthereof with one or more spring coils 24 with upper and lower springarms. The lower arms are slidably mounted on or connected to the drawercase l3, and have stops or upwardly bent ends at their forwardextremities, as indicated at 25, so that they can be sprung together topass within the sides l5 of the case II and to spring outwardly throughthe slots I6 and angular enlarged portions i'l at the forward drawings.

ends thereof, within retaining and guide members 26 formed or secured atthe sides I! lengthwise thereof. formed of elongated strips of metal orplastic of outwardly bowed formation and substantially U- shaped orconcavo-convex cross section with outturned wings 21 along the oppositeedges thereof, suitably secured to the sides I! of the case IS onopposite sides of the slots It to slide over the spring arms at thelower portions of the springs 23 so as to slidably mount the casethereon and support the latter in a normally raised position beneath thesupporting surface It and in back of the molding or border ll formingthe frame as described. The rearward movement of the case l3 on thelower arms of the springs 23 may be limited by the coils 24 orotherwise, though ordinarily, the case l3 will not have suflicientrearward movement to engage the coils. The forward movement of the caseis limited by the bent ends 25 engaging the forward ends of the guides26 in a manner clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the In this position,it will be noted that the drawer and case are swung downwardly at anacute angle so as to be extended forwardly in open position or drawn outfrom beneath the border or molding ll forming the frame when it isdesired to obtain access to the drawer it which is slid outwardly in itssliding support formed by the case It to obtain access to the equipmentor game apparatus contained in the drawer.

In order to anchor the springs in position, the upper arms of thesprings 23 may be suitably secured to the horizontal supporting surfaceIII, or to the border or frame Ii forming part thereof and to which thebight or connecting portion of the U-shaped spring structure 22 isanchored as shown. For this purpose, the upper arms are shown connectedby a continuation of the spring wire structure, or by means of a metalor plastic sheet bracket 28 which is shown of right angular formationwith rearwardly extending upper and downwardly extending forwardflanges, the ends of the upper flange being coiled or otherwise suitablyanchored to the sides or arms at the top of the springs 23, such as atthe forward ends of the arms as indicated at 29. The connecting memberor bracket 28 may be suitably secured to the inner surface of themolding or frame ll,

through holes in the depending vertical flange. as indicated at 30, soas to mount the device in position precluded from view by the frame inback of which it is disposed, and with the upper arms of the springs 23disposed against the horizontal supporting surface or top Ill at thebottom of the latter. Incidentally, the bracket 28 serves as areinforcement of the connection between the top l and the molding II aswill be seen from Figure 2 of the drawings.

In order to limit the movement of the drawer when pulled out, to openposition, the back of the drawer It, may be provided with suitable stopsor projections 3| extending outwardly from the sides thereon, and formedas reduced portions of a strip 32 suitably secured to the inner end ofthe drawer, as indicated at 33, or otherwise suitably forrned. Thesestops are designed to engage the forward ends of the slots it when thedrawer is pulled out, in order to limit the forward displacement thereofin the case l3, which also moves outwardly to a lesser degree in pullingthe drawer to an open position. This will permit the drawer to beextended forwardly of the adjacentedge of the top Ill and molding H forobtaining convenient access to the equipment in the drawer,

These guides 26 are shown as v such as cards, chips, checkers or othergame pieces in convenient position for use. when the drawer is pushed into closed position, it will move into the case I3 and the latter will bemoved rearwardly on the lower arms of the springs 22 to a limitedposition, when the springs 22 at their lower arms, will automaticallyraise the case and drawer to the upward position behind the frame ormolding II at the border of the horizontal supporting surface or tabletop l0 so as to be precluded from view beneaththe latter and behind themolding II. In this way, spilling of the contents or accidental openingof the drawer will be prevented. In opening the drawer, the same isfirst gripped between a thumb and forefinger or otherwise at the fingerpiece or handle portion 20 and pulled downward and then outward towardthe person opening the same, so as to escape and move beneath the ledgeformed by the frame, border or molding I I in a forwardly inclinedposition at the acute angles to the top II to be pulled out to itsfullest extent so that the equipment may be removed from the drawer. Onthe other hand, when the drawer is pushed in to closed position, it willbe automatically engaged behind the stop formed by the frame or borderII and may be frictionally retained against the same with the fingerpiece or handle portion 20 hanging below the bottom edge thereof, inconvenient position to be grasped for opening or pulling out the drawer.Of course, frictional engagement of the front end of the drawer in backof the drop rim or border i l at the bracket or.attaching plate 28 ofthe spring structure isnot essential, since the lower arms of thesprings exert suificient tension when the drawer is pushed in, to holdthe drawer and its,

case firmly to the underside of the table top or supporting surface andlikewise, against the bottom of the frame or border II when the draweris pulled out for obtaining access thereto.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferredembodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changesin the details of. construction, combination and arrangement of partsmay be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

While the device may be applied to any horizontal supporting surface Itwith or without a drop ledge, border or molding I I at the edge, such asan article of furniture and the like as enumerated above, in the case ofcard or game tables, with the collapsible or foldable legs I 2 as seenin Figures 2 and 3, the extended upper front edge of the drawer I8 orstrip 2| may engage the back edge or in back of the bracket 28 or coiledportions 29 thereof so that the finger grip portion or handle 20 willnot interfere with the movements of the legs l2 in extending or foldingthe same. In this way, when the table is folded up or resting on the rimII at the accessory drawer side, the back edge of the bracket plate 28will form a stop to any forward movement of the drawer and caseassembly.

What I claim is:

1. An accessory drawer for articles of furniture and the like,comprising a spring structure having arms for attachment to a horizontalsupporting surface thereof and lower spring arms extending forwardly inspaced relation beneath the aforesaid arms and normally held upwardly,

a guide member carried by the latter arms, and

a drawer slidable in said guide member and adapted to be normally heldupwardly against and slid forwardly to open position.

2. An accessory drawer of the class described, comprising a springstructure having upper arms, means for attaching said arms beneath thebottom of a supporting surface having a rim depending therefrom, lowerarms extending forwardly from the rear ends of said first arms andnormally sprung upwardly, a case slidable mounted on the lower arms andlimited in its forward movement, and a drawer slidable in said case andadapted to be lowered therewith beneath said rim to pull the sameoutwardly to open position.

3. An accessory drawer of the class described, comprising a springstructure having upper arms,

means for attaching said arms beneath the bottom of a supporting surfacehaving a rim depending therefrom, lower arms extending forwardly fromthe rear ends of srid first arms and normally sprung upwardly, a caseslidably mounted on the lower arms and limited in its forward movement,and a drawer slidable in said case and adapted to be lowered therewithbeneath said rim to pull the same outwardly to open position and meansto limit the opening movement of the drawer with respect to the case.

4. An accessory drawer for card tables or the like having a topsupporting surface and a drop border, a spring structure comprisingdivergent spring arms consisting of upper arms with coils at their rearends, means for attaching said upper arms to the back of the borderagainst said top, the lower arms diverging forwardly and normally heldupwardly, a case having guide means slidably receiving the lower armsfor movement downwardly and forwardly thereon beneath said border, and adrawer slidable in said case and limited in its forward movement thereinextended beyond the border when open in a lower inclined positionforwardly beneath the border.

5. An accessory drawer comprising a bracket adapted to be anchored to asupport, a case, a drawer slidably mounted in said case, at least onespring having a first and second arm projecting therefrom, said firstarm being attached to said bracket, a guide attached to said case, saidsecond arm slidably received in said guide, means integral with saidsecond arm and engaging said guide limiting the travel of said case, andsaid spring normally biasing said bracket and said plate relative toeach other.

6. An accessory drawer comprising a bracket adapted to be anchored to asupport, a case, a drawer slidably mounted in said case, at least onespring having a first and second arm projecting therefrom, said firstarm being attached to said bracket, a guide attached to said case, saidsecond arm slidably received in said guide, means integral with saidsecond arm and engaging said guide limiting the travel of said case, andsaid spring normally biasing said bracket and said plate relative toeach other, said case having sides with slots therein, means on saiddrawer slidably received in said slots limiting the travel of saiddrawer relative to said case.

7. An accessory drawer comprising a bracket adapted to be anchored to asupport, a case, a drawer slidably mounted in said case, at least onespring having a first and second arm projecting therefrom, said firstarm being attached to said bracket, a guide attached to said case, saidsecond arm slidably received in said guide, means integral with saidsecond arm and engaging said guide limiting the travel of said case, andsaid spring normally biasin said bracket and said plate relative to eachother, said case having sides with slots therein, means on said drawerslidably received in said slots limiting the travel of said drawerrelative to said case, said case limiting means comprising a bent end onsaid second arm whereby said drawer may be slid a maximum relative tosaid case and then the case slid a maximum relative to the second arm.

8. For use in an article of furniture having a relatively stationaryelement, a bracket mounted in proximity to the element, a springstructure having a first spring arm attached to said bracket, a secondspring arm normally substantially parallel to said first spring arm, acase including a bottom and sides, said sides having slots therein,guides attached to said sides and having said second arm slidablyreceived under one of said guides, means associated with said second armengaging said guide limiting the travel of said case, a drawer havingprotuberances thereon slidably received in said slots.

9. For use in an article of furniture having a relatively stationaryelement, a bracket mounted in proximity to the element, a springstructure having a first spring arm attached to said bracket, a secondspring arm normally substantially parallel to said first spring arm, acase including a bottom and sides, said sides having slots therein,guides attached to said sides and having said second arm slidablyreceived under one of said guides, means associated with said second armengaging said guide limiting the travel of said case, a drawer havingprotuberances thereon slidably received in said slots, said case adaptedto engage the element to retain the case in a predetermined position,and a finger grip at the lower front edge of said drawer.

10. For use with an article of furniture including a relativelystationary element, a bracket mounted in proximity to the element, aspring structure including a first coil having a first arm and a secondarm projecting therefrom, a second coil having a third arm and a fourtharm projecting therefrom, said first and third arms being rigidlyattached to said bracket, a case having a top, bottom and side walls,said side walls having longitudinal slots therein, said second andfourth arms resting on the exterior surface ofby limiting the travel ofsaid drawer relative to said case, whereby upon reaching the travellimit of said drawer sliding movement thereof is imparted to said base.

. WALTER C. HIGLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent: I

UNITED STATES PATENTS Waugh June 1, 1937

